Mesa MK V vs. MK IV - after a few years, is the MK V okay?

[peterc52]

At first I went after the IV, but they are really hard to come by in Denmark.

I haven't got a chance to A/B them side by side.

Are the V okay compared to the IV, will mostly be using the third channel.

 

[spanny]

Ch 1 - V > IV
Ch 2 - IV > V
Ch 3 - I think they are about the same. Though the V gives you 3 different voicing options.

So based on what you are looking for, probably the V. I personally use ch 2 alot, so I kept my IV.

 

[thiswaythatway]

IMHO the channel 3 on the IV is better. You can tweak it further than you can on the V because the pull on the presence makes a big difference as does the harmonics and mid gain switch. I also think that the IV has more gain going on than the V.

Overall amp, the V is better because the middle channel is a lot better than R2 on the IV. Cleans are about the same to me.

 

[HowMuchYaBench]

Do you guys find you need a boost in front of these amps to tighten up the sound, or no?

 

[TX6Strings]

Do you guys find you need a boost in front of these amps to tighten up the sound, or no?

I've owned a IV for a few years now and have played the V several times.

No boost needed for either.

 

[HowMuchYaBench]

What are you using for guitars/pups?

 

[jsp]

Do you guys find you need a boost in front of these amps to tighten up the sound, or no?

Nope.

 

[Mizati20]

Ch 1 - V > IV
Ch 2 - IV > V
Ch 3 - I think they are about the same. Though the V gives you 3 different voicing options.

So based on what you are looking for, probably the V. I personally use ch 2 alot, so I kept my IV.

No way, in my experience channels 2 on the V is ENDLESSLY better than on the IV... the 2nd channel of the Mark IV is nearly unusable...

And the 3rd channel of the IV is better than on the V.... just my experience though... but I've heard tons of people say the same...

 

[Deleted member 8761]

I still regret selling my Mark V. It is a killer amp. After a while, I got back to Mesa and I now own a IV. Both sound very good, I can't say which I prefer more. It's close. The V is a little bit easier to dial in plus it has new features such as that preset knob to blend in the EQ curve. Both amps can be tweaked endlessly...

 

[thiswaythatway]

Ch 1 - V > IV
Ch 2 - IV > V
Ch 3 - I think they are about the same. Though the V gives you 3 different voicing options.

So based on what you are looking for, probably the V. I personally use ch 2 alot, so I kept my IV.

No way, in my experience channels 2 on the V is ENDLESSLY better than on the IV... the 2nd channel of the Mark IV is nearly unusable...

And the 3rd channel of the IV is better than on the V.... just my experience though... but I've heard tons of people say the same...

+1000

 

[Les Zombie]

I owned both amps at the same time and liked ch2 of the V better than the IV, i sold my IV but i still own the V.
I liked both amps alot but i also liked the cleans better on the V, i gotta say that ch3 on the IV was pretty awesome and the best ch on either amp.
in the end i kept the V because for me its a more versatile amp and im happy with it.

 

[megaboogie]

For me, the only thing Mark IV has over V is CH3, and a mountable foot controller.
Everything else, I find V is just superior.
I sold my IVa few years ago kidding myself I was going to be a blues guy.
I bought a V about a year ago and have been really happy with it

CH1 has more sprakling clean with more tonal pallette with 3 modes.
CH2 crunch mode has more gain and can get both amazing rhythm and lead tone.
Lead boost, tube recifier option, more wattage option, etc.

Mark IV CH3 is a killer lead channel though.
It just has that raw, aggressive tone which sounds wicked for metal more so than V's IV mode. I'm not saying V can't deliver amazing high gain tone, but IV CH3 just does a more satisfying job for me. Still I had few chances to get MarkIV back for a great price last year, but I just passed on them.
For me I love them both but lean towards V more for its flexibility.

 

[blackba]

Do you guys find you need a boost in front of these amps to tighten up the sound, or no?

For R2 on the mark IV, yes. For the lead channel, no. Boosting R2 is the secret to unlocking this channel in my experience.

It seems as mesa has added features going from the Mark III to the IV, and now the V, each time they get smoother and smoother. When the mark III versus mark IV threads would come up, many were saying the same thing about the IV, that is now said about the V. 'Well the III is more agressive, but I like the versatility of the IV.'

 

[midnightlaundry]

Never played a IV, but I must say the Crunch, and Edge are great Marshall, and Vox tones. I play them on 45 watt solid state rectified.

 

[HowMuchYaBench]

When I played the V it seemed like there was just a world of different tones in it, even without any FX. I've heard a lot of people say they prefer a boost in front, which is why I asked for opinions.

 

[geese_com]

I really miss the 3rd channel of my old Mark IV. It was truly magical.

 

[skoora]

I haven't owned either but have played both quite a lot. I think of "the" metal tone the IV is on point and easy to dial in. The V I find tough to dial in a sound I love for metal, more sounds I "like" a lot. I will say the Mark 1 setting on CH 2 I really dig for heavy stuff with the GEQ. My vote is for the V as the versatility of the cleans and in-between rock tones and even hard rock tones are much more varied and interesting than my experience with the IV.

 

[stephen sawall]

If it the LEAD channel sounds you are after .... get a Mark III - personally I prefer the red stripe.

 

[Jofipe]

Channel 2 of the V was my fave... everything from marshally crunch to sludge. mk1 mode can get this fuzz-like character... really mean but still sweet sounding.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Do you guys find you need a boost in front of these amps to tighten up the sound, or no?

I boosted my old Mark IV on channel's 2 and 3 on occasion, as well as ch 2 and 3 on the V sometimes but I'm a bit of a boost junkie hell I used to boost my old Uberschall's as well (except for TJ revision).

On the Mark series I boosted channel 3 on the IV and V for extra saturation more than tightness though.